Communication between an external defibrillator and an implantable medical device

Abstract

An external defibrillator used to treat a patient wirelessly communicates with an implantable medical device (IMD) implanted in the patient. In some embodiments, a telemetry head may be removably coupled to the external defibrillator to facilitate communication with the IMD. The defibrillator may receive information, such as patient, device, physiological, and treatment information, from the IMD. The defibrillator may use some or all of this information during treatment of the patient. For example, the defibrillator may prompt a user, or modify programmed user prompts based on the information. The defibrillator may deliver therapy based on the information. The information may include real-time values of physiological parameters monitored by the IMD, which may be displayed by the external defibrillator. The external defibrillator may control delivery of therapy by the IMD. The defibrillator may collect medical event information during treatment of the patient, and store the medical event information in the IMD.

1 . An external defibrillator comprising: 
 wireless communication circuitry to wirelessly communicate with an implantable medical device implanted within a patient;    therapy delivery circuitry; and    a processor to receive information from the implantable medical device via the wireless communication circuitry, and control the therapy delivery circuitry to deliver therapy to the patient based on the received information.    
   
   
       2 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the processor selects an energy level for a defibrillation pulse to be delivered to the patient based on the received information.  
   
   
       3 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the processor suspends delivery of therapy by the therapy delivery circuitry based on the received information.  
   
   
       4 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the received information includes real-time values of a physiological parameter of the patient.  
   
   
       5 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the received information includes a real-time electrocardiogram of the patient, and the processor analyzes the electrocardiogram to determine whether to control the therapy delivery circuit to deliver a defibrillation pulse to the patient.  
   
   
       6 . The external defibrillator of  claim 5 , further comprising circuitry for sensing an external electrocardiogram, wherein the processor selects one of the external electrocardiogram and the electrocardiogram received from the implantable medical device for analysis to determine whether to control the therapy delivery circuit to deliver a defibrillation pulse to the patient based on a criteria related to quality of at least one of the electrocardiograms.  
   
   
       7 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the received information indicates at least one of a time of onset of a medical emergency or an elapsed time of the medical emergency, and the processor controls delivery of therapy based on the time of onset or elapsed time.  
   
   
       8 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the processor collects medical event information during treatment of the patient with the external defibrillator, and transmits the collected information to the implantable medical device via the telemetry circuitry for storage within the implantable medical device.  
   
   
       9 . The external defibrillator of  claim 1 , wherein the processor controls delivery of therapy by the implantable medical device via the telemetry circuitry.  
   
   
       10 . The external defibrillator of  claim 9 , wherein the implantable medical device comprises a pacemaker, and the processor of the external defibrillator modifies a pacing mode of the implantable medical device.  
   
   
       11 . The external defibrillator of  claim 9 , wherein the implantable medical device comprises a defibrillator, and the processor of the external defibrillator controls delivery of a defibrillation pulse by the implantable medical device.  
   
   
       12 . The external defibrillator of  claim 11 , wherein the processor controls the therapy delivery circuitry to deliver a defibrillation pulse at a selected time relative to the delivery of the defibrillation pulse by the implantable medical device.  
   
   
       13 . The external defibrillator of  claim 9 , wherein the implantable medical device comprises a pacemaker, and the processor of the external defibrillator controls the implantable medical device to deliver post extra-systolic pacing.  
   
   
       14 . The external defibrillator of  claim 13 , wherein the processor controls delivery of pacing pulses by the therapy delivery circuitry and the implantable medical device to deliver post extra-systolic pacing.  
   
   
       15 . The external defibrillator of  claim 9 , wherein the processor controls the implantable medical device to deliver at least one of a cardioversion pulse or anti-tachycardia pacing.  
   
   
       16 . An external defibrillator comprising: 
 wireless communication circuitry to wirelessly communicate with an implantable medical device implanted within a patient; and    a processor to receive real-time values of a physiological parameter of the patient from the implantable medical device via the wireless communication circuitry.    
   
   
       17 . The external defibrillator of  claim 16 , further comprising a display, wherein the processor displays the received physiological parameter values via the display.  
   
   
       18 . The external defibrillator of  claim 17 , wherein the processor displays the received physiological parameter values as a waveform via the display.  
   
   
       19 . The external defibrillator of  claim 18 , wherein the received physiological parameter values comprise an electrocardiogram of the patient, and the processor displays the electrocardiogram via the display.  
   
   
       20 . The external defibrillator of  claim 16 , wherein the received physiological parameter values comprise at least one of blood pressure or blood flow values, and the processor provides cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions to a user based on the blood pressure or blood flow values.  
   
   
       21 . A method comprising: 
 wirelessly communicating with an implantable medical device implanted within a patient via an external defibrillator; and    receiving real-time values of a physiological parameter of the patient from the implantable medical device at the external defibrillator via the wireless communication.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising a displaying the received physiological parameter values.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein displaying the received physiological parameter values comprises displaying the received physiological parameter values as a waveform.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein receiving real-time values of a physiological parameter comprises receiving an electrocardiogram of the patient, and displaying the received physiological parameter values comprises displaying the electrocardiogram.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein receiving real-time values of a physiological parameter comprises receiving at least one of blood pressure or blood flow values, the method further comprising providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions to a user of the external defibrillator based on the blood pressure or blood flow values.  
   
   
       26 . An external defibrillator comprising: 
 wireless communication circuitry to wirelessly communicate with an implantable medical device implanted within a patient;    a user interface; and    a processor to receive information from the implantable medical device via the telemetry circuitry, and prompt a user of the external defibrillator via the user interface based on the information.    
   
   
       27 . The external defibrillator of  claim 26 , wherein the processor modifies programmed prompts based on the received information.  
   
   
       28 . The external defibrillator of  claim 26 , wherein the information indicates an implanted location of the implantable medical device, and the processor prompts the user to apply electrodes coupled to the external defibrillator to positions on the patient based on the implanted location.  
   
   
       29 . The external defibrillator of  claim 26 , wherein the information comprises a patient treatment alert, and the processor prompts the user with the patient treatment alert.  
   
   
       30 . The external defibrillator of  claim 26 , further comprising a memory, wherein processor stores medical event information in the memory during treatment of the patient, the information received from the implantable medical device comprises at least one of patient information and implantable medical device information, and the processor stores the information received from the implantable medical device as part of the medical event information for the patient.  
   
   
       31 . The external defibrillator of  claim 26 , wherein the received information indicates at least one of a time of onset of a medical emergency or an elapsed time of the medical emergency, and the processor prompts the user according to the time of onset or elapsed time.  
   
   
       32 . The external defibrillator of  claim 31 , wherein the processor provides the time of onset or elapsed time to the user.  
   
   
       33 . The external defibrillator of  claim 31 , wherein the processor prompts a user to provide a selected one of a plurality of therapies based on the time of onset or elapsed time.  
   
   
       34 . A method comprising: 
 wirelessly communicating with an implantable medical device implanted within a patient via an external defibrillator;    receiving information from the implantable medical device at the external defibrillator via the wireless communication; and    prompting a user of the external defibrillator based on the received information.    
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein prompting a user comprises modifying programmed prompts based on the received information.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the information indicates an implanted location of the implantable medical device, and prompting a user comprises prompting the user to apply electrodes coupled to the external defibrillator to positions on the patient based on the implanted location.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the information comprises a patient treatment alert, and prompting a user comprises prompting the user with the patient treatment alert.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the information received from the implantable medical device comprises at least one of patient information and implantable medical device information, and the method further comprises: 
 storing medical event information during treatment of the patient; and    including the information received from the implantable medical device as part of the medical event information for the patient.    
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the receiving information comprises receiving information that indicates at least one of a time of onset of a medical emergency or an elapsed time of the medical emergency from the implantable medical device, and prompting a user comprises prompting the user according to the time of onset or elapsed time.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein prompting a user according to the time of onset or elapsed time comprises providing the time of onset or elapsed time to the user.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein prompting a user comprises prompting the user to provide a selected one of a plurality of therapies based on the time of onset or elapsed time.